Do you think that Roberto Mancini would be allowed 7 trophy-less years at the helm of Manchester City? Same question of Josè Mourinho, would the temperamental Real Madrid hierarchy keep faith if he wasn’t winning silverware on a regular basis?
I won’t even go into detail about Chelsea because the idea of Roman Abramovich having one manager for 7 years, successful or not, is laughable. Yet, Arsène Wenger remains Arsenal manager despite seeing no silverware since 2005’s FA Cup triumph.
I think it’s fair to assume that at no other top club in Europe would Arsène have kept his job. And now time may have finally run out for the French tactician. Despite not winning anything of note Arsenal have always been a force to be reckoned with domestically and in Europe, but this season the wheels truly do seem to be coming off. Where has it all gone wrong for Arsène? And is it time for a parting of the ways?
It seems that a lot of the press coverage surrounding Arsenal nowadays, for better or worse, focuses on finance. There has been positive coverage involving the strong financial position that the club find themselves in and negative coverage (at least as far as the fans are concerned) around Arsène Wenger’s apparent refusal to spend a transfer kitty that is allegedly available to him.
It’s finance that has led to the disgruntled protests of many Arsenal fans. The clubs business model is such that Arsenal are one of the only Premier League clubs to consistently turn a profit. But the Arsenal fans have had to watch as their rivals spend big money on players who once upon a time would have been on Arsenal’s radar. The clubs profitability coming at the expense of the playing staff.
Each passing transfer window, when the rest of the top clubs see a high profile, big money signing, Arsenal see a high profile, big money exit. Cesc Fàbregas, Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gaël Clichy, Kolo Tourè and most recently Robin van Persie. All sold for huge profit and replaced with players who cost a fraction of the price. Shrewd business some would say, but to a certain extent you get what you pay for and the Arsenal squad has suffered as a result.
It’s notable that Arsenal’s trophy drought coincided with the beginning of their new found policy of selling experienced, proven players. Patrick Viera scoring the winning penalty in the 2005 FA Cup final (Arsenal’s last trophy) and subsequently being sold that summer highlights this perfectly. Thierry Henry followed, and so the trend began.
Whether you blame this on Arsène Wenger or not depends on how involved you think he is in Arsenal’s transfer dealings. But the fact remains that he has overseen a transformation at Arsenal that has seen an unbeatable team with a winning mentality (which money cannot buy) evolve into a talented yet fragile squad. Maybe the Arsenal side of the mid 00’s wouldn’t have surrendered the League Cup final to a much inferior Birmingham City side?
It’s this same fragility that saw Arsenal knocked out of the League Cup this week on penalties to League 2 side Bradford City, despite fielding a relatively strong team. While the state of the squad and their transfer policy has been a talking point since before the start of this season, other cracks are starting to appear.
The appointment of legendary Arsenal defender Steve Bould as assistant manager seemed to cause a change in defensive efficiency. While the likes of Podolski and Giroud needed time to settle at the other end of the pitch, Arsenal’s defence became one to be respected. But, amid an alleged bust-up between Bould and the players after their recent home loss to Swansea, this sturdy defence seems like a distant memory now.
The two goals conceded in that defeat highlighted what has become a nervous looking back four. Arsenal did start the season with a formidable defence. Now, forget keeping a ball out of their net, all they seem able to do is successfully guard the Arsenal trophy cabinet making sure that nothing can enter.
Regardless of all of the above, regardless of whether Wenger is to blame for the high profile departures, football is ultimately a results business and results have not been good enough. The amount of silverware has not been good enough.
No longer can Wenger be allowed to remain employed on the basis that he assembled a phenomenal Arsenal side a decade ago. Arsenal fans are becoming increasingly vocal about their displeasure and that cannot be ignored forever. Maybe it is time for what was once the unthinkable, for Arsène Wenger to leave Arsenal.
A change in management could very well benefit the Gunners. But it could also be for the good of Wenger too. Despite the barren spell trophy-wise, Wenger would still be a much sought after manager for any of Europe’s top clubs. Rather than staying at the Emirates and wondering who will be the next of his key players to leave for greener pastures, maybe he could be challenging for silverware somewhere else. Like a manager of his calibre should be.